Just as many of us got ready to pack the boot and the kids and make a beeline for the coast on Friday the news we should've been prepared to hear came through: another COVID-19 outbreak.
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All eyes remained on Sydney's northern beaches this weekend as it was announced residents will enter lockdown from Saturday evening as the coronavirus cluster in the area grows to 41 cases.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly praised the community for locking themselves in doors even before Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the strict lockdown.
"It's extraordinary, it's a wonder to watch," Prof Kelly told reporters in Canberra on Saturday.
Most visitors were once again banned from entering Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital meaning patients would likely be spending Christmas alone.
"Birthing mothers may have one support partner, one parent for pediatrics and there may be exceptions on compassionate and other grounds," a hospital spokeswoman said.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk once again acted swiftly to protect her state, announcing all travellers coming from NSW would require a border declaration pass from 1am on Sunday.
Anyone who who visited the northern beaches on December 11 and who arrives in Queensland after 1am, December 19, must go into hotel quarantine, at their own expense, for 14 days.
The move followed Friday's announcement South Australia would re-introduce a border permit system and Western Australia would require all visitors to self isolate.
Without any irony, have a Merry Christmas.
If that seems too hard, just stay safe.
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